Dubai: There were 2,549 applicants willing to volunteer in the polling stations for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections, but only 1,400 were selected, Tareq Hilal Lootah, undersecretary at the Ministry of State for FNC Affairs and chairman of the Election Management Committee, said.
The 1,400 volunteers will undergo training in batches in eight centres located in Zayed City, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah, Al Ruwais and Abu Dhabi. The training started last Sunday and will continue till September 17.
Volunteers will eventually be assigned to polling stations during the FNC elections, which will be held on October 3. Ideally, volunteers will be assigned to polling stations close to their homes. “It’s important in order for volunteers to commute to and from the polling stations easily to avoid any surprises or any delays since these volunteers will have many responsibilities throughout the process,” he clarified.
Lootah explained that the 1,400 volunteers are undergoing the training through morning and evening sessions.
Volunteers are divided into groups of 25 to undergo the two-day training which consists of 150 sessions conducted by 20 specialised trainers.
“The training programme launched for the volunteers participating in the polling stations is the first of its kind and will grant candidates certificates of specialisation upon completing the training,” said Lootah.
Hashem Bin Sarhan Al Zaabi, Executive Dean at the Higher Colleges of Technology, said volunteers will train for five to six hours each day to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to participate in the electoral process.
“The first day of training will teach volunteers the general culture of political participation here as well as how to work effectively with work teams,” said Al Zaabi.
National service recruits
Training on the second day will focus on teaching participants administrative and legal procedures that must be followed and implemented when volunteering in the polling stations, he added.
Mohammad Al Mullah, Brigadier General of the National Service and Reserve Authority, said that recruits from the national service will also participate throughout the election process.
“There will be 252 recruits from the national service participating and we have collaborated with the organising committee to assign the recruits to the different polling centres,” he said.
Lootah added that the training programmes will prepare volunteers to deal with technical matters and unexpected situations that may arise on the scheduled election day.
He also pointed out that while impressed by the number of applicants willing to volunteer in the polling stations, he was more pleased to see that the majority of participants are women.
He also acknowledged the evident interest expressed by citizens, non-profit organisations and national institutions in participating in the electoral process.
